


of life and love and home and dreams

by EllaYuki



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Developing Romance, Episode Related, Fluff, Gen, Multi, POV Alternating, YOI Anniversary, general cuteness, more tags will be added with new chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-04 23:05:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12178251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaYuki/pseuds/EllaYuki
Summary: drabble collection based on the yoi anniversaryprompts.





	1. day 1 : hasetsu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after living his whole life in a big city, hasetsu is like a breath of fresh air for victor and he loves it.

hasetsu is like nowhere he’s ever been before. it’s probably why victor loves it so much.

the people are friendly, even when you can barely understand each other, and welcoming without expecting anything from you.

after the wave of reporters and fans died down post-onsen on ice, everything became so peaceful, so calming, victor thought he could live the rest of his life here and never miss st. petersburg.

it has nothing to do with the fact that this is where yuuri was born, where yuuri grew up and started skating. or, well, it has very little do with it.

it’s just that it feels like home.

in st petersburg, he’d always had to be victor nikiforov, skating legend, russia’s golden boy, as soon as he walked out his apartment door, even when he would only be taking makkachin for a walk or he’d be out buying groceries. there wouldn’t be a day where he didn’t have to put on his public face, his press smile, and really, after so many years, though it has become a habit, it’s also extremely tiring.

but here, in this little quiet town by the sea, he can breathe.

he can walk down the street and not be swamped by fans or reporters (not that there aren’t any, but nowhere near as many), the people greet him like he’s one of their own, like he’s always been part of their lives, and the atmosphere in general is unlike anything he’s experienced in his twenty-seven years.

he loves it.

he loves biking past the man on the bridge who always says good morning with a sunny smile, he loves the little old lady at the convenience store a block away from the rink who always gives him an extra sweet and always pets makkachin. he loves the kids who ask him to play with them.

he loves yuuko and her family and minako who regale him with cute stories from yuuri’s childhood.

and he adores yuuri’s family and their little onsen and the way they’ve basically adopted him without question, without hesitation, the moment he stepped foot in yu-topia. from yuuri’s sweet mother who endearingly started calling him vicchan the moment he introduced himself, to yuuri’s kind father who put a bottle of their best sake in front of him with a ‘welcome to the family!’, to yuuri’s grumpy-looking but gently sister who was the first to pull out the baby photos (to yuuri’s cute embarrassment).

yes.

hasetsu feels like home, from the first moment, and even through the first bumps in the road of his and yuuri’s relationship.

and victor really thinks he could see himself happily spending the rest of his days here.


	2. day 2 : two yuris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuri plistesky is a a force of nature that yuuri has a hard time understanding and dealing with.

when he arrives, as sudden and as out of the blue like victor had a week before, the russian yuri is like a whirlwind, a force of nature that leaves yuuri even more exhausted than he’s already been feeling in the last few days, and just as confused.

he demands attention, from everyone, and stomps around like he owns the place, and really, between him and victor’s hellish training regimen, yuuri wants to just… lay down somewhere (preferably curled up with makkachin, since she’s now available) and possibly never get up again.

in a way he understands yurio, he thinks, understands his drive and his need to get better and his desire to prove himself. he also kind of understands his annoyance with victor and his… well, his _bubbly_ nature (when he doesn’t torture them with an angelic smile on his lips, that is). he gets the frustration.

still the kid could tone down a bit that holier than thou attitude he’s gotten from being the best in juniors (because he’s pretty sure that’s where he got it). especially seeing as he’s currently more or less shamelessly freeloading. (well, it’s not like yuuri would actually make him pay for staying at the inn, nor would his family. mari especially would have yuuri’s head if he even tried.)

to yuuri’s great surprise, though, and what actually settles it for him that yurio’s attitude is really just a defense mechanism, is that for all his anger and general broodiness, and his clear intent to treat yuuri like his rival, like his enemy even at times, yurio agrees to help him with his salchow, in the rare moments when it’s just the two of them on the ice.

he’s snarky about it, yes, rolls his eyes and scoffs long-suffering every time yuuri falls or steps out or under rotates, but he patiently shows him, again and again, giving pointers whenever and wherever needed. he drops his defenses a tiny bit, and yuuri can glimpse the eager teenager underneath. (obviously, the moment victor shows his face, the walls slam back up, and it’s all competitive business again.)

he says, grumpily, moodily, that the only reason he helps is because he wants to compete against yuuri at his best, because otherwise what’s even the point? who wants an easy win like that? like hell he’d be happy with that.

(yuuri thinks yurio’s a bit of a tsundere.

he keeps that thought to himself, though, because he knows he’d get kicked for it.)

~

‘hey, katsudon.’

‘yurio? what is it?’

‘tomorrow, show me that step sequence.’

‘step sequence? what are you talking about? what step sequence?’

‘the one you did this season in your free. the one in the middle of the program.’

‘umm… okay? i mean, if you want to, sure. it wasn’t all that great, though, i think i could have worked a little bit harder on it… but yeah, okay. but, umm…’

‘what?’

_‘why?’_

‘huh?’

‘i mean, why do you want to see that?’

‘i just do. stop asking stupid questions, idiot.’

‘okay, okay, i get it. i’ll do my best.’

‘hmpf. whatever.’


	3. day 3 : eros/agape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> victor thinks it’s a golden opportunity for them, they… kind of hate him for it a bit.

he flips the script and gives them what they least expect and what they definitely don’t want to nor think they  _could_  do. it’s how they’re going to surprise their audience, and it’s how they’re going to grow as skaters, as artists.

he’s been toying with ideas to choreograph for yuuri, not entirely sure if he’d wanted to give him either of the two he’s been working on in the months since the grand prix final, but the opportunity to see how they’re going to surpass this obstacle and come out better is too exciting.

he wants to see how far they can go, how far they  _will_  go.

~

he hates victor. a  _lot._

not only for forgetting the promise he’d made yuri, but also for saddling him with  _agape_  of all themes.

sure, he’s only just beginning to understand the intricacies of eros, barely starting to understand himself and his own sexuality and his own passions, but he’s pretty sure he understands it a hell of a lot better than some abstract notion of self-sacrificing, unconditional love. he’s even more sure that he could pull it off better than katsudon the drunkard would.

still, saddled he’s gotten, and if there’s one thing yuri hates is backing out of a challenge, or losing. as if he’d ever lose to the likes of katsudon.

…it’s just that… even when he thinks of his grandpa, because he’s the only thing that comes to him when he tries to dissect the concept of agape, it’s hard to lose himself in the feeling, hard to let himself be drowned in and led by emotions. 

the technical part is easy enough. well, no. it’s exhausting, demanding beyond anything he’s ever done in juniors, but it’s easier to get in the headspace to skate through the whole program without flaw. but even he can tell how robotic he must look, how soulless.

_damn victor._

it’s easier to summon up passion, could derive it from his love for skating and his drive to win, but this… 

still, no way in hell is he losing to someone who had every opportunity to reach the top and crashed and burned under the pressure. yuri would never forgive himself if he  lost to him.

~

he doesn’t know why victor insists on him skating to sexual love, but he kind of hates him a tiny bit for it.

the program is more difficult than anything yuuri’s ever skated in a short, and it doesn’t help that he can’t land that damn quad salchow properly no matter how hard he tries either.

and it’s just…

he’s never seen himself as much of a sexual, or sensual person.

even when he’s pole dancing, when he loses himself in the rhythm of the music and the atmosphere created, yuuri can’t really see himself as someone who could easily attract a person’s attention in such a way.

maybe because he’s never really been one to feel that way about others himself. (until victor. but he doesn’t let himself think about that. not right now, not when the man himself is so close and so… touchable.)

and no, katsdon really doesn’t help, no matter how much he tries to fool himself.

but still, he’ll do his best, no matter how difficult it might be, no matter how fierce the competition.

not when it’s victor’s continued stay in hasetsu, by yuuri’s side, on the line. and not when it’s yuuri’s own pride and dignity on the line.

~

they’re wonderful.

yurio is technically perfect, every jump and spin precise, and honestly victor can’t find any flaw in his skating, but yuuri shows the story of the program and the emotion behind it with every glide, every twist, every breath.

it’s really no question, for him at least, who the winner is.


	4. day 4 : yuri on ice / music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuuri is a little bit in love with how ‘yuri on ice’ (the song) turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> decided to combine both prompts and make it about 'yuri on ice' the song, instead of the program as a whole.

while it’s still a reworking of the song he’d had done but never used, it sounds… beyond different, and yuuri loves it.

he’d been a bit reluctant to ask julia to redo it, reluctant to tell her the story he wants to portray now (not just his life, his career as a skater, but victor’s influence, both before and after coming to hasetsu).

he’d run some ideas by her, about how he imagined it might be, about maybe having the parts the signified victor being distinct but not overly so, about wanting it to end on something of a hopeful tone.

julia listened to him patiently, kindly, taking notes and making suggestions of her own, and in the end, yuuri felt like he made the right choice asking her for help. (and thankfully, she wasn’t upset with him for before.)

when the finished product arrives, in the middle of the night because time zones, he listens to it four times on repeat, eye closed, letting the piano notes and the violin strings wash over him and steal his breath.

he doesn’t even think that he might be waking victor up from his sleep when he barges into his room. this, the song is important.

(he doesn’t think of what might happen if victor doesn’t like it.

he doesn’t need to, either, because victor loves it as much as yuuri does).

it takes him a while to think of a name for it, mostly because he’s not good with titling things, but he goes by the feelings it evokes in him, and by the theme he’s chosen, and by the story is tells.

(victor agrees that ‘yuri on ice’ is the perfect name for the piece. yuuri won’t show him exactly how pleased he is with that.)

for his last season, yuuri thinks, and for this one season with victor, there’s nothing more suitable than this.


	5. day 5 : love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in the summer, victor falls in love.

the summer passes, filled with practice and more practice, with messing around with ideas for exhibitions skates and free days at the beach, with languid evenings that has every bone, every joint, every muscle go to mush from the liquid head of the onsen.

long days and even longer (for all that they’re actually technically shorter) nights in which victor falls from bright infatuation into a deep, enveloping love, the likes of which he’s never felt, never know could be possible before.

slowly, fractionally, yuuri starts to unwind around him after yuri goes back to russia, after their conversation on the beach, and they start having something of a proper daily schedule, and they start slowly getting to know each other.

victor learns about vicchan the toy poodle and how his death broke yuuri’s heart, he learns about the posters and yuuri’s fanboying in his younger years. he learns about yuuri’s anxiety problems (though it will be a long time before they really sink in for him), and he learns about the best ways to make yuuri smile.

he learns that yuuri gets cranky when he’s both hungry and sleepy, that he gets a bit bolder when he’s drunk some good sake (and ah, that explains so much, but not everything), and that he tends to get flustered and shy (more so than usual) when faced with all his achievements (be they professional or academic or otherwise).

everything, no matter how small, that victor learns about yuuri in the months leading up to the start of the season makes his heart beat faster, his real smile turn brighter. his vague ideas for the future start to coalesce into something clearer, more palpable, more colorful, until eventually, he can’t imagine a future for himself without katsuki yuuri in it. (nor does he want to.)

~

yuuri loves him, too, he knows that much.

yes, he might not have said anything, might not have done anything in that regard, but victor knows, even before yuuri announces it to the entirety of japan and the skating world at large.

it’s the fact that yuuri, shy, reserved yuuri, just… says it, voice soft and eyes cast to the floor, yes, but he says it, and on live television, too, that surprises victor the most.

the fact that he’s acting (or trying very hard to act) like nothing out of the ordinary has happened when he comes back home is even more surprising, but by now, victor has learned that the best course of action is to take yuuri’s cues. so he doesn’t mention it, doesn’t tease yuuri for it.

he’ll let yuuri come to him when he feels comfortable.

 


	6. day 6 : relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cup of china starts and phichit thinks about those around him, his friends and competitors.

it’s the first time he actually makes it so far in the grand prix series, and phichit is excited and giddy, if still nervous, but he has to wonder if the cup of china feels less stressful (although there is more on the line for him with his fourth place at skate America) because yuuri is here.

his best friend is a ball of nerves before a competition, always, but somehow, it always seems to have a calming effect on phichit. maybe it’s because one of them needs to keep their heads about them. whatever it is, phichit feels more confident, more comfortable this time around.

(he’s pretty sure the two of them will trounce everyone here, constant medallists included.)

~

there’s something different about yuuri this time around though.

well, it’s obvious what’s different about yuuri. victor nikiforov, yuuri’s life-long idol and crush is by his side, acting like an overgrown puppy starved for yuuri’s attention, and has spent the past few months living under the same roof and training and teaching yuuri everything he knows. of course yuuri would be different now than he used to be.

but it’s one thing to see his confidence grow in bits and pieces over the phone and in instagram posts (via victor’s insta, mostly), it’s an entirely different thing to see it in real life. and really, phichit is happy for him and he’s really proud. his best friend is coming out of his shell and it is a sight to behold.

(seeing yuuri grab victor’s hand and pushing their foreheads together, looking determined and ready to slay while victor looks stunned and breathless and smitten is something phichit wishes he could have filmed up close and in high definition to show it at their wedding.)

~

chris is somehow both better and worse than phichit ever imagined.

he’s never had the opportunity to meet the man (as much of a legend as victor himself, seeing as he’s never missed the podium in the past decade, although he’s never managed to beat victor for the gold) before, but he’s heard stories (half of them from yuuri) and read interviews and watched his routines, and he’s both exactly and nothing like the picture that’s been building in his head.

(he wonders if this is how yuuri felt when victor first showed up in hasetsu and shattered and rebuilt all of yuuri’s expectations. he likes to think it is.)

chris is sweet for all that he’s handsy, dishing out advice with a smile to his younger competitors and skating the most lascivious programs like it’s nothing. phichit can only wish to one day reach that level of self-confidence and be that kind to his juniors.

(he won’t let himself think about how his heart races and his cheeks heat up and his throat dries up while he watches  _ _intoxicated__. it’s not like he’s here for this, whatever this is. he doesn’t need that distraction right now. he’s here to win.)

~

leo and guang hong are as cute and as frustrating as they were at skate america, and phichit would very much like to shut them in a broom closet somewhere until the stop being idiots.

(he doesn’t, though, because he’s pretty sure that guang hong’s head might just explode before anything can even be said between them. also, yuuri would probably scold him into next week if he did.)

it’s good to be able to skate with them again, have fun and relax and not worry about appearances. it’s good to be able to laugh stupidly and bicker about who got the most and the best selfies with victor and with chris and with yuuri and with each other. (and it’s going to be good to kick both of their asses this time around.)

still, phichit kind of envies their budding romance, as much as they skirt around each other timidly. still, he won’t let himself be distracted by such thoughts right now.

~

he’s not touching georgi and his failed relationship with a hundred foot pole. the man is good, you can’t be the second most decorated skater in russia for years and years without being good, and honestly, phichit gets being heartbroken, gets taking a while to get over the pain and the loneliness and the confusion.

but maybe basing an entire season’s programs on and around the break up wasn’t the best way to go about trying to get her back? and besides, phichit’s seen her instagram (hey, he researches all his competitors, and well, he’s online friends with most of the current skaters), and she seems happily married and beyond done with georgi’s drama.

~

he can’t really pinpoint what is it about this particular event, but his friends, his closest and dearest friends are here, and not only them but idols he’s always admired, too (some in more ways than one, but that’s besides the point), and phichit feels like he can conquer the world here, now, with them, and from them, he can only hope that the rest of the series, the rest of the season, will fell just as amazing.


	7. day 7 : hugs and/or kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> victor jumps him at the end of his free skate, and phichit and the rest just want to know whether it was a kiss or just a hug. yuuri only wants to sleep.

'it was a hug.'

'nope, that was definitely a kiss.'

'actually... i also think it was just a hug...'

'of course _you_ would think that, you innocent little teddy bear.'

yuuri rounds the corner into the skaters area, face red, victor beaming at his side, and rolls his eyes at his fellow skaters, a sense of dread creeping up his spine. none of this can possibly be good. the others turn on them as one when phichit notices them, and yuuri wants to turn right around and go hide.

'yuuri!' phichit yells, getting all up in yuuri's face, a serious look on his face. yuuri gulps, because he knows that look, and he hates it.

'yes?' he asks, uncertainly, and cautiously grabs onto victor's jacket for support. he's not taking on _hurricane phichit_ alone, no way in hell.

'first of all, that. was. _brilliant!'_ phichit starts, and he sounds both proud and a little manic. 'since when could you do a flip? you never mentioned you could to the quad flip. you’ve been holding out on me, yuuri! you can’t do that to your best friend! also,’ he says turning to victor, ‘that program was gorgeous, victor, top marks on choreography,’ and then back to yuuri, ’and yuuri, gorgeous with the step sequences as always.'

he sounds like he might just keel over from lack of breath, but still, he continues on, not letting them answer at all. yuuri is getting a bit dizzy.

'phichit-kun,' he tries, but it's lost in the torrent that is phichit on a roll.

'wonderful, wonderful, i still beat you but it was _amazing_. now.' and finally, finally he takes a breath. yuuri feels like a ticking time bomb is just about ready to blow. victor isn't helping matters either, with his quiet chuckling. 

'tell us.’ phichit grabs him by the shoulders. ‘we need to settle this, because _some_ of us here need to check their eyes, and the footage we've seen so far isn't helping with the bad angles, and really, _you can't just leave us in the dark like this_.'

victor lets out an amused little sound on yuuri's right and yuuri turns glare at him. then he turns back to phichit and the others. leo and guang hong are standing to one side, flushed cheeks and determined eyes looking at yuuri with identical looks of disbelief in their eyes, like they can’t believe their idol would do something so outrageous so publicly. a couple of feet away are chris and georgi who look smug and exasperated, respectively. he looks back at phichit and his gleeful grin. he sighs. _right, let's get this over with,_ he thinks.

'tell you what?' he asks and _oh_ he feels the exhaustion starting to set in his bones.

'was it a kiss or was it hug? just now on the ice, i mean?'

yuuri sighs again, looks up towards the (hidden) heavens begging for strength, and then at victor. victor just smiles, bright and faux-innocent and a smidge smug. _right. he's of no help._

he turns back to phichit who looks like he might just vibrate out of his skin. 'umm,' he hesitates, biting his lip, 'uh, it was a kiss, actually.'

that gets mixed reactions that, really, both do and do not surprise him.

phichit instantly glomps him, laughing happily, squeezing so tight yuuri thinks he can feel his bones creaking. leo and guang hong both go bright red and look anywhere but at each other, or at any of them for that matter. chris’s smirk grows bigger, more satisfied, and georgi just shakes his head.

'see?' chris says to leo and guang hong, 'told you. there was no way victor could watch yuuri do that quad flip and _not_ jump him.' 

'listen to your elders, children,' adds georgi dramatically. 'we know victor and his _extra_ tendencies a lot better than you.'

'hey!' it's the first thing that victor says since this whole thing started and _of course_ he'd be offended by _that_ of all things. _'you_ try patiently waiting for months and months. you wouldn't be able to help yourself either.'

'months and-' yuuri breathes, suddenly feeling dizzy. yeah, no, he can't deal with this right now. he needs to sleep before he can deal with _any_ of this.

slowly, he pries phichit off of him, and he leans against victor, closing his eyes. he wants to sleep. victor wraps a gentle arm around him.

'yuuri?' he asks, and it's like it's just the two of them alone in the world. yuuri takes a deep breath, and when he speaks he addresses the room at large.

'i have nothing to say on the matter until i get some sleep. seeing as it's _not_ going to happen any time soon, because there's still an award ceremony and interviews to get through, i would really appreciate it if you guys _, as my friends,_ will stop asking questions right now.' he pauses a moment, just to make them squirm a little, and then, 'yes, it was a kiss. that's all you need to know. now,' he turns to victor, ‘until the ceremony is starting, i need to rest. i’m just about ready to drop.'

without another word, he takes victor by the hand and drags him away to find a corner in which he can maybe catch a short nap.

immediately, he can hear the others whispering furiously amongst themselves, but quite honestly, he can’t bring himself to care. he can barely keep his eyes open right now.

he finds a more secluded corner and pushes victor down on the bench by the wall. victor goes down without complaint, but he does let out a surprised yelp when yuuri plops himself in his lap.

‘yuuri?’ he asks, but yuuri doesn’t feel like talking anymore, so he brushes a soft kiss against victor’s lips, enough to shut him up, and settles against him, tucking his head on victor’s shoulder. warm arms wrap tightly around him.

‘wake me up when it’s time to go back out on the ice,’ he says before he falls asleep.

he doesn’t feel the warm kiss pressed against his hair.


	8. day 8 : makkachin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mari finds makkachin after the poodle goes through the buns in the shrine room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: warning, vague mentions of past and possible, present dog death, and a character putting their hand in a dog’s mouth/throat to pull things out to stop said dog from chocking to death. idk, just in case.

she doesn’t think much of the open door to the shrine room, though it’s usually shut, closed off to anyone but family, but when she looks inside she can’t help frowning at the mess that’s been made of the offerings. a strange feeling of dread washes over her.

_it’s not… it can’t be, no no no, please no_ , is all she can think about as she leaves the room in a hurry to go find makkachin.

she looks for her, through the main room and the kitchen and the garden, banking on the dog being too old to go upstairs, but as more time passes without finding the poodle, she decides it’s time to check upstairs, too.

she finds makkachin in victor’s room and curses herself for not looking here first thing.

makkachin is curled up in victor’s bed, nose tucked under the edge of on pillow, and she’s barely breathing. she’s making distressed sounds that get caught off by hacking like she’s trying and failing to dislodge something from her throat.

easily, carefully, mari picks up makkachin’s head with one hand while petting her flank with the other and tries looking into her empty mouth. she thinks she can see the edge of something, probably a plastic wrapper, but makkachin keeps hacking and she can’t tell.

‘easy, girl,’ she says, and pries her jaw open, ‘let me take a look, let me help you.’ makkaching lets out a whisper of a whine and weakly wags her tail a couple of time.

mari’s always hated having to take things out of vicchan’s mouth, always hated having to basically shove her hand down the dog’s throat, but she always did if it meant he wouldn’t choke to death. it feels the same now, and her hand is trembling slightly, but she reaches in and pulls on the plastic wrapper she can reach.

makkachin shakes her head and clamps down on mari’s hand at the sensation, but mari doesn’t let up. ‘come on, makkachin, let me do this, don’t be stubborn,’ she says, soothes a finger over makkachin’s muzzle in an effort to get her to calm down.

the plastic comes out, crinkled and full of dog spit and grains of rice, but makkachin doesn’t seem to be able to breathe any easier. there might be more stuck in deeper where she can’t reach.

‘okay,’ mari mumbles, just this side of panicked, as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. her hands are shaking as she calls the vet they used to take vicchan to. her voice trembles as she talks to the doctor, and all she can think is  _not again, not again, please not again_.

she leaves makkachin alone for a couple of minutes, enough to run downstairs and tell her mother to start the car and to ask her father to help her carry makkachin down. she could probably carry her by herself, but there’s always the fear of making the situation worse, so it’s better if she has help.

as soon as makkachin is loaded into the car, she takes off.

‘you’re going to be fine, old girl, you’ll see, you’re going to be just fine.’ she says it, over and over, the entire drive to the clinic, trying to comfort both the poodle and herself.

makkachin is old. fourteen or so if she remembers correctly, almost fifteen. she’s old even if she’s energetic and high-spirited. she’s afraid what this could do to her health in the long run. if she even makes it past the night.

it would kill yuuri, if something were to happen. it would kill victor and it would kill yuuri, and quite honestly, it would kill mari, too.

she looks at makkachin again. her eyes are closed, and her breathing seems even shallower.

mari steps on the gas.  


	9. day 9 : reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuuri reunites with both victor and makkachin at the airport in fukuoka.

he breathes in deep, trying not to let the tears fall, trying not to let victor know, and hugs a bit tighter. he doesn’t know why this separation has been so rough, why, when it’s only been a bit over two days, but yuuri wants to cling and not let go for a week or so.

he doesn’t want to think about what it will be like after the final, when victor will go back to russia and yuuri will retire. he can’t bear to think about it right now, it’s too painful, and it’s hard enough to just breathe.

there’s a soft whine from the side, and a fluffy muzzle trying to get his attention, and yuuri’s train of thought veers away from its depressive journey.

_makkachin_ , he thinks, and looks down at the fluffy poodle trying to get their attention. _makkachin is okay. she didn’t…_

gently, reluctantly, he pushes victor away, just enough to free his arms and kneel in front of the dog. victor understands, doesn’t question it, pets makkachin’s ear as yuuri hugs her.

‘hey, girl,’ yuuri says, and there’s a kind of desperate sort of relief washing over him. he doesn’t know what he’d have done if makkachin had died, too. 'missed you.’ and he _did_ , he realizes now, even if it’s been less than a week. 'sorry i wasn’t here when you were feeling bad,’ he apologizes and gets a few affectionate licks for it. 

he laughs, almost sobs, and it just makes her lick his face harder, more enthusiastic, bowling yuuri over and stepping on his chest, making it even harder to breathe.

victor laughs, hiccups, and yuuri’s heart stutters in his chest when he manages to get a glimpse of possibly the fondest look that has ever graced victor nikiforov’s face. victor does nothing to get makkachin to stop smothering yuuri, but then again, yuuri isn’t sure he wants him to. 

it’s another minute before makkachin finally tires and just sort of flops on top of yuuri, nuzzling into his neck and panting heavily.

yuuri hugs her, as tight as he dares.

'i love you, too,’ he tells her, voice barely above a whisper, looking straight into her big, adoring eyes. her tail wags, and when he gives her a quick kiss on her nose, she gives him a small lick.

(he doesn’t think about the fact that victor isn’t going to be the only one yuuri will miss dearly when he goes back to russia. really, everything is just too painful to think about, so yuuri just doesn’t.)

‘come on, makkachin,’ he says, gently coaxing her back to her feet, ‘let’s go home.’

(they sandwich her between them when they get back at yu-topia.

yuuri almost cries again with how much he wants to keep this.)


	10. day 10 : rings / banquets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lot can change in a year and chris is very happy for his friends and their engagement.

a lot can happen in a year.

you can fall from second in the world to fifth, you can make interesting friends, you can go to new places you never thought you’d get to visit, and you can fall in love.

and apparently, if your name is katsuki yuuri, you can go from being depressed over a loss and getting amazingly drunk as a result, to getting engaged to your childhood idol.

the moment he catches sight of the gleaming gold band on yuuri’s flailing hand, chris’ breath almost catches in his throat. it does catch when he sees victor’s wearing a matching one.

just a year ago victor was faking smiles for the press, trying to hide the fact that the loneliness was getting to him. just a couple of days after that, yuuri, shy yuuri, reserved yuuri, got shit-faced drunk and had the most fun chris has ever seen him have in the years they’ve known each other.

just last year, on a night much like tonight, yuuri danced his way into victor’s heart and brightened it again, made his eyes sparkle again, made his smile real again. chris had almost given up on seeing a carefree victor again.

and yuuri.  _oh, yuuri_. who didn’t know about yuuri and his crush-slash-hero-worship of victor (aside from  _victor himself_ , that is)? chris and yuuri had first bonded over their broken hearts when victor had first cut his trademark long hair, and remained friends ever since, and honestly, he’s happy for him, for getting where he is today, for being able to climb back up after the disastrous end of his season last winter.

he looks at them, at the way it’s only been a year and they seem so comfortable together already, and the way they seem to gravitate towards each other at any given moment.

he’d envy them for it were he not so happy for them.

‘what’s with the rings, you two?’ he asks, because he can’t not, and because he’s curious and because he needs to tease. it catches everyone’s attention, makes them notice and yuuri tries to cover it up, stutters, but gives up when victor cheerfully shows his ring off and calls them a pair.

(he didn’t expect phichit’s ridiculously adorable reaction, but he goes along with his enthusiasm, applauding for their friends along with the others in the restaurant.)

~

later, as they head towards the hotel, he asks phichit, because he’s still curious, ’who do you think bought them?’

phichit looks at him, question in his eyes, but then he looks back at yuuri and victor. ‘the rings? hmm… probably yuuri,’ he says, to chris’ surprise.

‘you really think so? i mean, sure, yuuri’s come out of his shell a bit more since victor’s become his coach, and even more so, i guess, since they got together, but really? shy, reserved yuuri buying wedding rings for them? wouldn’t he find it a bit presumptuous or something? what with his japanese sensibilities?’

phichit gives him a look, one that says he’s highly amused but will not laugh into chris’ face. (chris wants to wipe it off his face. maybe with his lips.) (he pushes that thought away.)

‘trust me,’ phichit says. snorts. ‘he might not have bought them with the sole intention of proposing to victor, although it’s not a possibility we should rule out, but yuuri can be stubborn and surprising when you least expect it.’ he looks at yuuri again, frowns a little. ‘i thought he’d at least tell  _me_ if he had something like this planned, but… well, he didn’t even tell me about that he was taking pole dance lessons but here we are, apparently.’

chris chuckles at phichit’s petulant tone. ‘i’ll send you the photos and videos i have from the banquet, if you want?’ he says, fond amusement coloring his tone. 

(the way phichit’s eyes turn to him and  _sparkle_ is worth the lecture he’s going to get from yuuri later, he thinks.)

~

‘so, winter wedding in st. petersburg, or spring wedding in hasetsu?’

victor looks at him quizzically for a moment, then he taps a finger to his lips in thought. ‘you know,’ he starts, ‘i haven’t actually thought about it.’

chris just laughs at that, because he knows, for a fact, that victor has.

‘you were considering sweeping him off his feet and eloping to paris the morning after the banquet,’ he tells victor matter-of-factly. victor has the decency to blush, caught red-handed.

he clears his throat, ‘right, yes, well, that was then. i haven’t thought about it since then.’

chris just lifts an incredulous eyebrow. ‘you’re telling me you haven’t already thought five different versions of your wedding vows since he put that ring on your finger?’

‘it hasn’t even been two hours, chris,’ victor sniffs at him, mock-offended, ‘what do you take me for?’

‘i take you for the guy who packed up his entire life in russia and booked a one-way flight to japan for himself and his dog because the cute guy who swept you off your feet at the banquet skated your free program after no contact for a few months.’

for once, victor has no smart-ass reply. chris just grins at him.

after a minute, chris puts his hand on victor’s shoulder, squeezes gently. ‘congrats, mon ami,’ he says, and means it from the bottom of his heart, ‘may you be endlessly happy.’

victor smiles, bright, candid, ‘thank you, chris,’ he says and looks like there are no more burdens weighing him down.

‘i hope you know,’ he does make it a point to inform victor, although they’ve been friends for a decade and this should be a given already, ‘i expect to be the best man at the wedding.’

victor laughs at that. ‘mine, anyway,’ he says. when chris raises his eyebrow at him, victor snorts. ‘what, you think phichit will let anyone else be yuuri’s best man?’

‘ah,’ chris has to concede, because victor has a point. still. ‘let’s just hope petit has as good a taste where wedding preparations are concerned as he does in what he posts on instagram.’

(he does, chris eventually find out. the wedding they plan together a year and a half later is, quite frankly, impeccable.)


	11. day 11 : longing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> victor’s heart is broken, and for once, he can’t paste a smile over it.

even thinking hurts, breathing, remembering, blinking, _everything_ …

of all the things he thought yuuri might want to talk about, especially the evening after his short program, _especially_ the day after yuuri gave victor a ring, in front of a cathedral no less, going their separate ways after the final was definitely not one of them.

and victor can’t… he can’t understand, no matter how hard he tries. he can’t understand what made yuuri think, what made yuuri _believe_ , that victor would ever want-

he sighs, cards his fingers through his hair and pulls at it, and his entire body shivers from the cold in his chest, from the pounding in his ears.

he wants to go back. back to the room, back to this morning, back to last night. he wants to go back to that feeling of happiness, of bliss, he felt, to the warmth that cocooned him just this morning, yuuri sleeping deeply by his side, ring shining faintly on his finger.

he wants to go back to the peace he felt this morning on the beach.

he wishes makkachin was here so he could bury his face into her fur and take comfort like he’s done time and again in the long years he’s had her. it always calms him, warms his heart, and curbs his longing, if only just a little bit.

he sighs, and looks out into the darkness, the cold night breeze freezing the tear tracks on his cheeks. he’d been so happy here this morning (even when yurio had come and pissed him off). 

now he’s sitting in the dark in the same place he stood then and cradles the pieces of his broken heart.

he really hadn’t thought yuuri could be so selfish and so cruel.

he sighs, and wipes his cheeks with the insides of his wrists. he should go back to the hotel. it’s late, and it’s too cold, and he’s so, so tired.

he doesn’t want to talk to yuuri right now, though, not when he’s not sure they won’t start yelling at each other again.

still, he turns his back towards the water and takes a deep breath. the ring on his finger is cold.

(he needn’t have worried. yuuri is asleep, or at least is pretending to be asleep, when victor quietly lets himself back into their room.

victor isn’t really sure if he’s relieved or not.)


	12. day 12 : stammi vicino / welcome to the madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as he watches yuuri and victor be sappy morons out on the ice during yuuri’s exhibiton skate, yuri decides he's not going to be upstaged in his moment of glory.

he gets an awfully unpleasant surprise when the lights in the arena go from blue to purple and victor skates out onto the ice to join yuuri. the entire arena practically explodes with shrieks and applause.

he’d expected victor to do something, to cause a scene or steal the limelight, once he’d formally announced his comeback, but for some reason, yuri hadn’t expected the geezer to do something quite so fucking sappy.

maybe he should have, given recent history. given that it’s _victor_.

he takes a deep breath, tries not to break something because seriously, this is supposed to be _his_ moment. _he’s_ won the gold, _he’s_ the one who is supposed to shine right now and those lovey-dovey _idiots_ are stealing his thunder.

he tries to control his anger, he really does, but he can’t, not fully.

‘those damn pigs!!’ he all but growls, otabek’s calm comment about surprises not helping in the least.

well. maybe it does.

an idea starts taking shape.

‘otabek!!’ he yells, startling his friend. ‘for my final exhibition, you be in it, too!’ he demands.

otabek, for his part, tries to give a token protest, but yuri can’t hear him over the avalanche of ideas rushing through his head.

yuuri and victor finish their skate, with yuuri lifting victor up off the ice, eyes locked, smiles disgustingly sweet, and yuri turns to fully face otabek.

‘we’re gonna be even more intense than those two!!’ he says, confident, almost jubilant. he doesn’t think anything of it when he grabs a fistful of otabek’s shirt and pulls him closer.

‘you’re gonna watch me lay everyone flad out, right?’ he asks, and he’s almost vibrating, because this is going to be so awesome. he pulls otabek even closer, forheads almost touching. ‘so? are you gonna do it?  or are you not gonna do it?’

otabek looks at him for a second, like he’s considering, like he’s wondering, before his face splits into a devious little grin that sends yuri’s pulse racing.

‘we’re friends, aren’t we?’ he says, and it’s not really a question. ‘then, there’s only one answer.’

(yuri’s heart does something funny at that, but he ignores it, too ecstatic about his upcoming skate.)

they have just enough time to decide when and where exactly otabek is going to come into the program and to talk to a light technician to ask for a spotlight at that particular time and place, before yuri’s being announced.

(the skate goes flawlessly.

yuri never really doubted it would.)


	13. d-day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuuri, victor, yuri and otabek have a conversation about a new set of figurines.

‘seriously, what’s with you japanese people and making so many different types of figurines? incredibly life-like ones, too, some of them.’

‘i have no idea, i never understood the appeal of them, either.’

‘yuuri, stop lying to yurio, you have five different figurines of me at home, and a couple more on the way. you _love_ figurines.’

‘victooor…’

‘somehow, i am not surprised katsudon has victor collectibles. you really do have shit taste, katsudon.’

‘yuuri has more than just figurines, you know. before i moved to hasetsu that first time he even-‘

‘victor! you promised!’

‘ah, yes, sorry, yuuri. but you know i think it’s sweet.’

‘you have to admit, though, these little ones are adorable.’

‘see, even otabek likes them!’

‘yes, well, even he has flaws.’

‘yuri!’

‘what, katsudon?’ i mean, come on, look at them. they could have at least chosen outfits to match, like all from the same season, or all from free skates, or i don’t know, all casual, but no. no, they had to put you and katsudon fressed in costumes from one season, chulanont and that brat from japan-‘

‘you do know minami-kun is older than you, right? by two years.’

‘anyway, like i was saying, those two are dressed in practice attire, and then there’s me in this season’s free skate outfit. and the hair doesn’t even match!’

‘well… i guess, you _are_ right… but still, you have to admit, they are kind of cute. yurio’s is the cutest, i think.’

‘shut up, katsudon, it’s not.’

‘he’s right, they are.’

‘otabek…’

‘i wonder if they’ll make more like these…’

‘what do you mean, victor?’

‘i mean, with some other skaters. you know, like chris, or otabek, or hey, maybe even mila and georgi.’

‘oh look, for once victor has a good idea.’

‘yuri, don’t be mean.’

‘yes, yurio, don’t be mean to your dad.’

‘i will sic potya on you, geezer, don’t think i won’t.’

‘aww, see, yuuri? our son is being so mean to me.’

‘you should stop teasing him, victor, really.’

‘yuuuuriii…’

‘see? i have to put up with this almost every day. i feel like moving to another country, i swear.’

‘you could always come to kazakhstan. that would be fun.’

‘see, this is why we’re friends. you have the best ideas!’

‘as if yakov would ever let you move to kazakhstan.’

‘as if yakov has any say in it if i want to move away. at most, i’d have to ask for granpa’s permission.’

‘alright, okay, calm down, you two. victor, i said stop teasing him, and yurio, please stop letting victor get to you, you know he’ll only do it more.’

‘hmpf…’

‘yuuri~’

‘now, otabek, as i was saying before this whole thing derailed-‘

‘i still think it’s weird-‘

‘yes, yes, yurio. anyway. otabek, i’m going to japan in a couple of weeks, so if you want me to pick anything up for you, just tell me. ok?’

‘thank you… if it’s not too much trouble… i’d like-’


End file.
